Josie Maran Argan Matchmaker Serum Foundation: One Shade Fits Most

Have you ever gotten a "One Size Fits All" t-shirt, and wondered how it could fit you, AND fit everyone else in the world that is a completely different shape and size than you?    Somehow, when you try it on though, it looks great on you.  And then when your friend tries in on, it looks great on him or her as well.  And then, there's that one person that, well ... it just doesn't look as great on.  Well, I believe I was that one person with this foundation.

I really wanted to like this.  Besides the fact that it just sounds space-age cool, after questing years for a foundation that is an exact match to my ghostly pallor (I usually wear a .5 foundation on a scale or 1-10 and sometimes that is too dark), I truly wanted the self-adjusting feature to work for me.  When I received my sample bottle from Sephora (through the Vogue Influencer Network), I was so anxious to see if I had finally found the answer to all of my foundation problems that I promptly washed my face and with baited breathe, gave it a go.

This is what happened.

Yikes, right?  Yeah, not so good.  I'm not sure whether the foundation color, my skin tone, or the triple chin I had to create in order to get this picture is the most frightening.  Needless to say, I could not even wear this around for a day just to get a feel for the wearability of the product.  Kind of sad, but not super surprising.  I suppose that's why I find myself back using same cosmetic brand for my foundation year after year.

As it turns out, just when you thought this little review couldn't possibly have a happy ending though, it really does.  Knowing full well that I am in the minority when it comes to luck with foundation (after years in the industry and tests of multiple brands and shades, I found maybe 2 or 3 foundations that were actually passable for me to wear in the daylight), I decided I needed to find a few more faces to try it out in order to get a more accurate review, and asked two lovely ladies at Salon 604 to give it a try and report back.  Their results not only sounded better, they looked better too (thank goodness)!

Here is the report back from the salon trials.

   The color matched my skin tone perfectly! It was cool how it went on white, and then changed to    match my complexion, though I wonder if it was just coincidence that it matched or if it actually does what it says! The argan oil makes it feel luxurious and very moisturizing, but I have oily skin so after about an hour my face felt pretty greasy. The coverage was a little light and sheer for me as I usually like something heavier.  I have a feeling someone who prefers a lighter foundation and tends to have slightly drier skin will like it a lot.

 LOVED the foundation!  My skin looked radiant! I loved the moisture in the foundation, and the coverage was perfect.  Wearing it again today!

So, in summary it seems that if you prefer a sheer coverage, tend toward the drier side, and are not the color of paste then you might have just discovered your new foundation!